The Fifth Ape System
“We are all connected. To each other, biologically. To the earth, chemically. And to the rest of the universe, atomically.” - Neil DeGrasse Tyson
The System:
The following framework draws heavily from the work of Frank Forencich and Erwan Le Corre, to whom we are indebted:
Fifth Ape training is all about natural movement and evolutionary fitness. So what constitutes natural movement and what is evolutionary fitness? In short, everything we do is Primal, Practical, and Playful. Let’s break each of those down.
Primal movement is:
- Locomotive (moving yourself), manipulative (moving objects), or combative (moving other people)
- Performed outdoors as much as possible
- Performed with minimal/basic equipment
Practical movement is:
- Universal (picking something off the ground or running is done the same in every country.)
- Adaptive (the movement can be adjusted to meet a particular set of needs - for example picking up a couch is quite different from picking up a barbell)
- Critical (able to be applied to acute physical problems like getting a child out of a raging river, climbing a tree to escape an angry dog, sprinting after the bus before it pulls away from the station, etc.)
Playful movement is:
- Exploratory (the movements push the boundaries of “what is possible”)
- Open-ended (there are no final tests, secret techniques or Big Games to prepare for - just ever increasing opportunities and possibilities)
- Non-linear (no universal pre-defined progressions - the process is organic, like the movement)
- Mindful (requires focus, calm, and a situational mindset - ideally entering a flow state)
- Self-reinforcing (the movements are done for their own sake, not for some external reward)
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The Philosophy:
The fundamental idea that underpins the Fifth Ape philosophy of training is interconnectedness. With a little bit of thought and exploration we discover that at all levels, be it psychologically, sociologically, and even molecularly, there is a deep connection between an individual and his/her environment.
We are the way we are because of this connection. A great unbroken chain of our ancestors leads back through time to the origins of life. For the overwhelmingly vast majority of time, we lived in intimate contact with the environment. Everything about our species has been shaped by the land, the plants, and the other animals we share the planet with. We have thrived because we have been well integrated. Not surprisingly, we require intimate contact with our environment for optimal physical and emotional wellbeing.
This idea of integration also comes into play when we consider the fallacy of the Cartesian worldview. We have been taught for hundreds of years that the mind and the body are distinct and separate, and that identity is the purview of the mind - “I think therefore I am,” as Descartes said. However, evidence suggests this worldview is flawed. The mind and the body are deeply integrated and difficult to distinguish from one another - thought, after all, is a physical process. By practicing mindful movement and engaging in training that is mentally challenging as well as physically challenging, we can improve our capacities for learning, creativity, and innovation, while enriching our physical experiences with excitement and play.
Finally, we must consider the importance of community connection. We humans are social creatures and we rely on cooperation and collaboration to thrive. We feel connected and secure when we come together, depressed and helpless when we are isolated. Fifth Ape training is a highly social experience - the more we play together, the healthier our communities become.
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